HARRY BENNETTS RETURNS TO UKARIA



‘It took me a few days to accept that I had won a position in the [Berlin Philharmonic] Academy, I was so sure that someone had made a mistake! The orchestra has quite a unique vibe, it’s one of the best in the world, but it has the energy of a youth orchestra which is something so intoxicating in performance’
 
- Harry Bennetts
 
Violinist Harry Bennetts is a young musician we’ve followed closely over the years. The recipient of a Klein Family Foundation scholarship to study at the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM), Harry appeared at the opening of the Cultural Centre in August 2015. His performance of Arvo Pärt’s Spiegel im Spiegel with harpist Marshall McGuire was a moment of unparalleled contemplative beauty, one that remains undiminished in our memories.
 
Following his studies at ANAM, Harry received the news in July last year that he would be the first musician from the institution to win a place at the prestigious Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra Academy. Under the mentorship of concertmaster Noah Bendix-Balgley, Harry is now around nine months into the two-year residency. We caught up with him to bring you this special interview, offering a fascinating insight into the inner workings of one of the world’s top orchestras.
 
Harry returns to Australia in July to perform at UKARIA Cultural Centre on Sunday 9 July with Melbourne based pianist Louisa Breen, a graduate of the Royal College of Music in London. Their program includes Beethoven’s Spring Sonata for Piano Violin in F major, Op.24, Chausson’s Poéme, Op. 25, Lutosławski’s Subito for Violin and Piano, and the Richard Strauss Sonata for Violin and Piano in E flat major, Op.18.
 
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AUSTRALIAN STRING QUARTET - 'MIGRATIONS'



The past few months have been particularly eventful for our friends at the ASQ. In December last year, they concluded our 2016 series with guitarist Slava Grigoryan, with whom they spent several days recording Wolfgang Muthspiel’s Flexible Sky, Iain Grandage’s Black Dogs, and Ralph Towner’s Migration for Guitar and String Quartet at UKARIA Cultural Centre for a recording for ABC Classics. We’re pleased to announce that the recording has now been officially released, and can be purchased here. If you’d like to find out more about what the quartet have been up to, click here to read a great article in Limelight Magazine.
 
The Australian String Quartet perform four coffee concerts at UKARIA Cultural Centre this year. At the time of writing, there are only 8 tickets remaining for their first concert on Friday, 16 June. You can also hear them in August, November, and December.
 
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ARCADIA WINDS WITH THORSTEN JOHANNS AND
OLE KRISTIAN DAHL



‘Ole [Kristian Dahl] is single handedly the best bassoonist I’ve ever heard. I say that without even having to think about it. This place is extremely fortunate to see somebody like that.’
 
- Matthew Kneale, bassoon (Arcadia Winds)

Ole Kristian Dahl (bassoon) and Thorsten Johanns (clarinet) are both members of the internationally acclaimed Hindemith Quintet, and are recognized as some of the finest wind players in the world. The chance to witness musicians of this calibre working with one of Australia’s brightest new ensembles is a truly special opportunity. There are only 20 tickets left to this performance, so we encourage you to book soon.
 
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UMBERTO CLERICI - 'SUITE CUBED' ALBUM RELEASE



We first discovered the Italian cellist Umberto Clerici (currently Principal Cello of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra) at our inaugural Ngeringa 24 weekend in April 2016, curated by Genevieve Lacey. We’re thrilled Umberto will be joining us for two concerts later this year – one with pianist Daniel de Borah (8 October) and another with the Streeton Trio (12 November). Not surprisingly, both concerts are sold out, but we are pleased to announce that Umberto will again be joining us in 2018, so watch this space.
 
If you’re yet to hear this incredible artist, you may be interested to know that he has recently recorded his debut album for ABC Classics – Suite Cubed: Bach and Beyond.
To purchase the CD or to find out more, click here.

FRIENDS OF THE GARDEN



Our next gardening morning will be held on Thursday, 22 June. We’d be delighted to have you with us.
 
To sign up, please visit UKARIA | Friends of the Garden
 
Please note, during the winter months, we may be required to reschedule our gardening mornings according to the weather. If this is the case, we will notify you by email.

For those of you who are joining us for Joe Chindamo and Zoë Black on Sunday, please come up from 1:00pm and warm yourself up with coffee, tea and cake in our heated alfresco. We look forward to sharing another inspiring concert with you.
 
Dylan Henderson
Communications Manager
UKARIA